Tina Cassidy is a journalist and author of Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born (Birth: A History, in the UK). Her latest book, Jackie After O, was published in 2012.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Our new baby, installment #27

The birthing tub, as I had learned the week before labor started by submersing myself in it, brought instant relief in so many way because it took gravity out of the equation. The pressure and weight of a big belly, the inability to move into a comfortable position, these were nonissues in the water. When the home birth midwife suggested I get in the tub, I flung off my nightgown, grabbed an elastic and a headband and twisted my hair into a crazy style, and got in -- quickly -- between contractions, with help. We had set the tub up in the baby's room, which was warm and dark. The house, thankfully, was quiet. I immediately settled into a kneeling position, gripping with white knuckles the side of the tub and pushing my forehead into the padded lip. The midwife checked me for the first time, and said I was fully dilated, after about only 3 hours of active labor. Every time a contraction hit, I marveled at the sound coming from my throat and kept thinking I would wake up our 4-year-old, or the neighbors, as our old town house is attached on two sides. For the next two hours, the only words I remember saying are: "When will this end?" "Soon," was her response.

I also had two constant thoughts running through my head: "Now I know why women considered childbirth the Curse of Eve...because if one did not choose to go through this, and had to do so every couple years, it could make you a very bitter woman."

The second thought was more of a question -- "How many other babies were born in this house, built in 1874? And what was it like for them?"

11 comments:

The baby is almost here! I am so excited! Just an idea for your next birth ;) Try Hypnobabies, hypnosis for childbirth. I used it with my last baby and felt only pressure, even when pushing. It was intense, but not painful.

So, as much as I'd like to stick my two cents in right now - I'm withholding any further comments until Tina has finished her installments. This will be hard for me because I don't like to hold back (no kidding). So Tina, hurry up and finish. And cnh, I saw the Business of Being Born last week with my daughter, daughter-in-law and my mom. It was great to share this movie with all the girls in the family. I have comments about the movie that I will share later as well.

Okay, that thought of all the other women giving birth in your home just totally made me burst out in "boo-hoo" tears. I'm sure my kids think I'm crazy - but I am just a sap. As a doula I tell women in labor, "300,000 women are giving birth with you today. You are all connected." It is true for those who have gone before us as well, I think.

I second Sheridan's suggestion. I used Hypnobabies with both of my babies births. This last birth was absolutely amazing. I had plenty more time to practice. Experienced only discomfort during the last 2 hours of a 7 hour birthing process. The rest was enjoyable and i smiled and laughed my baby here!

i wondered the same about our house. Built in 1890's. What stories does it hold?

I had to comment on the last line of this entry. We are currently moving from the home where our second son was born. Everyone keeps asking me (with a sad tone) "Aren't you SAD to be moving from that house, since he was born there?" I have a hard time explaining to people my thoughts about that. You can drive through older parts of town here and dozens of babies have been born in each home. There was a single child born in mine. The birth is not what makes the move hard, it's the life that happened in those several years. Those memories. The birth is just a part of that. And I hope that my son is not the last child to be born there. :)

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About Me

I am an author
interested in what it means to be a woman at various stages of life. My first book was Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born. My latest book is about a transformative year in the life of Jackie O (no, not 1963). It was published in May 2012.